Shipp: Drafting Zell for another Senate term is Democrats' only hope for a win

Posted: Wednesday, March 03, 2004

Chairman Kahn should come down from his soapbox and quietly phone his former boss, Gov. Roy Barnes, to begin a campaign to recruit Zell Miller to run for re-election to the Senate.

Bill

Shipp

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www.billshipp.com

If Barnes and Kahn want to resurrect the Democratic Party in Georgia, they might need the redoubtable mountain man again. You heard that right.

Before the Barnes team fumbled away the governor's office, they richly rewarded Miller with an appointment to the U.S. Senate. No matter what Sen. Miller says on radio or TV, he owes Barnes a debt that he can never fully repay. If Barnes makes Miller an offer now, he can't say no. Unless, of course, Democrat Miller turns out to be a 100 percent ingrate (which is not out of the question, by the way.)

Barnes not only named Miller to the Senate, he also helped make the Georgian a household word in national politics, a bestselling author and an A-list guest on Fox's top-rated talk shows. Barnes' action probably increased Miller's net worth by a million dollars or so.

Until Barnes came along, Miller was just another local yokel - an ex-governor best known for instituting state-sponsored gambling and an innovative scholarship program. In political circles, Miller earned admiration simply by sticking to his Democratic guns in a region rapidly turning Republican.

In July 2000, Gov. Barnes suffered the slings and arrows of a thousand Republicans by appointing Miller, a Democratic icon and populist legend, to replace Republican Paul Coverdell, an icon of sorts in his own right, who died unexpectedly in office.

Barnes had scores of other options besides selecting Miller. In truth, a volume of convincing arguments could have been made against appointing the retired governor turned professor: Miller was too liberal to win re-election in Georgia. He was too closely identified with Bill and Hillary Clinton, Jimmy Carter, Max Cleland, Ted Kennedy, Walter Mondale, Andy Young, John Lewis, Wyche Fowler and the M. L. King family. All those folks counted Miller as a close friend and political ally. With pals like that, how could Miller possibly hope to win election in Republican-trending Georgia?

Miller, however, fooled everybody. He wasn't pals with any of those Democrats after all. It just seemed that way - until he safely locked up their support. Old Zell turned out to be a hard right-wing ideologue who demonstrated his conservative leanings in everything he did and said on every media outlet available. He supported John ''Patriot Act'' Ashcroft for attorney general and was first in line to endorse a constitutional amendment against gay marriages. No matter what President Bush said, Miller responded: ''Yes sir, boss! That's right, chief! Right on, my leader!''

Miller threatened to kick Kid Rock's butt for dissing the flag; he denounced DNC Chairman Terry McAuliffe for dissing the South; he ignored Sen. Tom Daschle (and Kennedy and Clinton) as they were dissing him.

Just last week, the National Journal rated Miller ''the most conservative Democrat'' in the Senate. In fact, he scored so high on the conservative chart that he also beat out more than half his Republican peers.

Even as he approaches his announced retirement - again, Miller obviously still relishes the spotlight. He has introduced a brand new bill to fine TV and radio networks 25 cents per audience member for broadcasting indecent material. The new Miller measure has no chance of passage - but it keeps the senator in the headlines and on the talking-head shows.

If Barnes and Kahn could persuade Miller to run again, they could redeem themselves. Miller would beat any Republican on the horizon - Johnny Isakson, Mac Collins and even Herman Cain.

Of course, Miller and Isakson became fast friends after Miller defeated him for governor. Miller would never run against a friend, you say? Boy, are you naive! Remember Herman Talmadge? Miller first adored him, later tried to beat him for re-election and then, at his funeral, called Talmadge ''the tallest tree in the forest.''

Miller would make a great second-term senator. He might even write another bestseller, this one on the additional sins of the Democrats who nurtured him. Of course, his fellow Democrats might continue to turn their backs on him in the elevator, and tip the waiter to serve him cold soup at his solo meals in the Senate dining room. So what? He would have the ear of the president, if George Bush wins re-election. On the other hand, if Kerry wins - well, that's another matter.

P.S.: Georgia has had one or two other congressmen hit the top of ''the most conservative'' scoreboards in Washington. Though these lawmakers generally won rave reviews among the uninformed back home, their lists of achievements at the Capitol broke brevity records. The same would go for ''most liberal,'' though we haven't had any of those lately. No matter what you've heard, extremism is not a virtue.